TRUMAN SPORTS COMPLEX — An uncertain future looms at Truman Sports Complex near Interstate-70 and Blue Ridge Cutoff as a location, which has served as the home to Kansas City, Mo., professional sports teams for the past five decades, now faces its NFL team’s departure to Kansas, and while conversation continues, indecision remains from its parking lot counterpart.
What started out as a vision in December 2022 for the Royals Baseball franchise and the City of Kansas City to relocate Kauffman Stadium and build a new facility Downtown, now over three years three years later, has gone on to include the Kansas City Chiefs — ultimately resulting in the NFL team’s relocation to Kansas: a decision, which was announced between Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas City Chiefs Owner, Clark Hunt on Dec. 22, 2025 at a press conference.
However, while the Chiefs will vacate Arrowhead Stadium and the Truman Sports Complex — where they have played for the past 54 years — in the team’s 2031 season, a decision has yet to be made for the boys in blue.
By the Numbers
In original, proposed conversations in November 2022, Kansas City Royals Baseball Club Chairman and CEO, John Sherman — a Kansas City entrepreneur and philanthropist, who purchased the Royals franchise, becoming the organization’s third overall ownership conglomerate, from David Glass in November 2019 — announced to Kansas City locals and Royals fans alike what the organization hoped and planned for the MLB team’s future — which included a potential relocation of Kauffman Stadium or “The K” to Downtown Kansas City, according to MLB website archives.
Kauffman Stadium (1 Royal Way) was completed in 1973 — originally titled “Royals Stadium” but was renamed Kauffman Stadium in July 1993 after Royals Founder and Inaugural Owner, Ewing M. Kauffman, according to MLB archives — in time for the team’s 1973 season.
While the stadium has undergone upgrades over the years including a $250 million renovation project, which was completed in April 2009, current upgrades the complex now needs, Sherman previously stated, are not feasible at its Truman Sports Complex location.
In efforts to move this proposal forward, a stadium sales tax initiative was placed on Jackson County ballots for the April 2024 election, which included language of whether or not citizens of the County wanted to renew a sales tax that allocated funds toward Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums, respectively, through 2071 that was set to expire in 2031. While voters approved this ballot measure in 2006, it was voted down in 2024 — leaving both Truman Sports Complex teams to search for alternative options.
The Hot Corner
Since Dec. 22, all eyes remain on Sherman and the Royals Baseball franchise, as Kansas Citians await a decision for the team’s 2031 season. And state and county line legislatures appear in a disagreement on the organization’s relocation.
One proposal, which Kansas City City Council has discussed, includes constructing a new stadium Downtown in Washington Square Park, 100 E. Pershing Road.
“We are not losing the Kansas City Royals; What I can promise is this: that we have already, I think, put out some strong proposals in terms of what a stadium could look like, what the financing could look like and beyond,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a media interview. “It’s going to be a responsible one, so taxpayers aren’t blind sided after the fact, and frankly, so we’re still funding the important, basic services people rely on in Kansas City proper.”
And if this Washington Square Park option is selected, Lucas shared what he, as well as the City Council, hopes to develop at the Truman Sports Complex after both teams theoretically relocate — including potentially repurposing the space into an entertainment district.
While Washington Square Park and a Downtown stadium is one current conversation, another includes the baseball team mirroring the Chiefs and moving its dugout West, across state lines.
This Kansas relocation is primarily made possible through the state’s “Sales Tax and Revenue” or STAR Bonds, which allow for Kansas municipalities to issue bonds for financing major commercial, entertainment and tourism development projects — including stadiums and sporting facilities, according to the Kansas Department of Commerce’s website.
All STAR Bonds must be approved by the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) and the Kansas Secretary of Commerce. In a previous LCC meeting, the council approved a STAR Bond for the Royals and the Chiefs, valid through June 30, 2025 for the franchises to accept the state’s offer. While the LCC did extend this proposal at a previous meeting through Dec. 31, 2025, which the Chiefs accepted prior to the deadline, the Royals did not, leaving Kansas Speaker of the House, Daniel Hawkins (R) to announce that the MLB team would no longer qualify for STAR Bond funding.
“Time’s up — as I’ve said before, today is the deadline for STAR Bond proposals,” Hawkins said in a media interview on Dec. 31. “We put an end to it on Dec. 31, believe me, I was not kidding when I said that.”
Moving forward, any decision must be approved by the LCC, and currently, no conversations have indicated that the Council will extend this STAR Bond offer for the team.
Before the STAR Bond deadline, Kansas State Senator President Ty Masterson (R) shared that he was confident the Royals would move to Kansas.
“Senate President Masterson believes the Kansas City Royals are fully committed to Kansas, which fulfills their obligation regarding the advanced timeline given from the LCC,” he previously shared with media. “While their location proposal continues to evolve, it will not be finalized or considered this year or during the upcoming legislative session.”
The Kansas location, which was under consideration for stadium construction, is located in Johnson County at the Aspiria Campus — formerly Sprint Corporation’s headquarters — at Nall Avenue and West 119th Street in Overland Park, Kan.
At this time, Sherman and the Royals Baseball Club have not released a statement surrounding the future of Kauffman Stadium, nor has the organization come to a resolution of where the team will play when its lease is up at the Truman Sports Complex in January 2031.
Julia Williams — a Kansas City native — is a reporter and digital producer for The Labor Beacon. A University of Missouri School of Journalism alumna, she previously served as the editor-in-chief of The Northeast News before joining The Labor Beacon staff.
Williams’s grandfather was a Claycomo Ford Motor Company retiree and avid UAW Local 249 supporter, allowing her to understand the union difference from a young age.
In her free time, Williams enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to see her friends and hanging out at home with her cat, Greta. She loves a good cup of coffee, seeing local, live music and shopping secondhand. With a passion for storytelling, she hopes to bring her knowledge of journalistic integrity to the Kansas City union community — giving union and labor workers a voice, while holding people in powerful positions accountable.
